LINCOLN -- For five innings the Prairie Grove Tigers (5-9, 2-1) and the Lincoln Wolves (2-6, 1-2) waged a tightly fought 3-3 battle in a 4A-1 conference game played last Wednesday at Lincoln.
However, in the bottom of the sixth frame the Tigers unleashed a torrent of offensive firepower, scoring 9 runs in the stanza which helped them earn the 12-3 victory. The Tigers trotted out 13 batters and cranked out 9 hits in their difference-making inning.
"We hit the ball well all game, just in the early innings we were hitting them right at people," said Tigers' coach Dustin Beck. "Eventually the hits started falling and we caught a couple of breaks. It was nice to get the win."
Prairie Grove had a myriad of base-running miscues that cost them a couple early runs, which, combined with the aggressive and successful base running of the Wolves, nearly spoiled an impressive pitching performance by Prairie Grove's Madison Skelton. Skelton went the distance, giving up 3 runs (zero earned), on 4 hits with an incredible 13 strikeouts.
"She's a workhorse. She works so hard in the off-season that when it's game-time she is ready to go," said Beck about his senior twirler.
Brooke Ketzler's RBI single in the top of the first frame, which scored Anna Kidd, gave the Tigers a 1-0 advantage. The Wolves countered with one run in their portion of the first inning when Sydney Brewer, who lead off the inning with a single to left field, scored from third base on a double steal with Madison Reed, who had reached base on a Tiger error.
In the third inning Madison Cluck plated Valarie Shepherd with a sacrifice fly, putting Prairie Grove up 2-1. In the bottom of the fourth stanza, the aggressive base-running style of Shelby Rowe, who reached base with a single, drew an errant throw from Cluck which allowed Rowe to move all the way to third base. Rowe then scored on a passed ball, knotting the score at 2-2.
Both squads added a run in the fifth inning. Allison Skelton blasted a single to left center which scored Cluck from first base. For the Wolves, Jaycie Neeley laced a single to center field that scored Brewer from second base and again tied the score at 3-3.
The offensive floodgates opened for the Tigers in the sixth frame. Kidd, Ketzler and Parker Lopez all had 2 RBI, base hits, while Shepherd, Madison Skelton and Camree Bartholomew all plated base runners with base hits of their own.
When the smoke cleared the Tigers had plated 9 runs and claimed an intimidating 12-3 advantage. Madison Skelton blanked the Wolves over the last two stanzas giving the Tigers the 12-3 victory.
"I was proud that we didn't give up," said Wolves' coach Karen Coleman. "The girls said 'Ms. Coleman, they aren't nine runs better than us,' and no they are not. They were today and that's what matters."
Ketzler (3 for 4, 1 RS, 3 RBIs) and Bartholomew (3 for 3, 1 RS, 1 RBI) led the Tigers' offense with 3 hits each with Madison Skelton and Makenzie Terry both tallying 2 hits each, while Kidd, Shepherd, Cluck, Lopez and Allison Skelton all finished with a hit apiece. For the Wolves, Brewer, Neeley, Rowe and Taylor Smith all had 1 hit.
Sports on 04/16/2014